Disclosing the art of weaving through contemporary design: Mio Karo by Carolina Melis

Wednesday, 29 July 2015 10:30 by Agata

Weaving is among the treasures of Sardinian ancient art. Back in time, weaving represented an “ordinary fact” in the daily life of society where agriculture and pastoralism were major resources. Women used to be the key players in the world of textile: they hold the know-how and manual skills, a long-lasting heritage to pass on across generations together with the cultural identity of a place, its traditional motifs, the sequence of colors.

«A textile keeps the history of a place», says Carolina Melis. Today her name is an icon of the weaving art in contemporary Sardinia: as a high profile art director and illustrator with prestigious clients all over the world, Carolina Melis deepened the roots of Sardinian culture in order to build the weave of her so-called “Mio Karo”. Mio Karo reflects a successful match between between the world of looms and wires and the contemporary design of Carolina Melis: accordingly, Mio Karo is also the name of a brand collecting – and promoting at the international level - the textiles by selected local artisan collectives such as Su Trobasciu from Mogoro, Su Marmuri from Ulassai, the independent artisans of Nule and the expertise of Maria Antonia Urru from Samugheo.

This has resulted into a collection of rugs, wallhangings, cushions, each piece hand made in Sardinia using only the finest materials such as wool from local sheep, silk, linen and pure cotton. Ornamental motifs have been studied and designed by Carolina Melis according to the cultural heritage of each place in which the artisan production is based. The fil rouge is an imaginary of geometric patterns made up by repeating modules emphasized by strong and fascinating chromatic contrasts, playing with an eye-catching, sometime extreme, sequence of white and black. The identity behind Mio Karo’s production clearly reflects Sardinia: its usual and familiar suggestions, the same that can be detected in the traditional music, where beats and sounds repeat themselves slightly obsessively, or in the landscape, that changes radically throughout the year.

Mio Karo converts local weaving art into modern of interior design products, and provide a new, innovative lens to interpret contemporary Sardinian identity, drafting an innovative aesthetics that is intriguing and refined, unique in every single piece. With Mio Karo, Carolina Melis, today among the most influential figures in the visual art both in Sardinia and at the international level, built a bridge between the precious art held in the small villages of authentic Sardinia and the world beyond the sea.

CAROLINA MELIS

Carolina Melis is an illustrator and art director passionate about visual art and animation. Originally from Sardinia, she lived between Italy, Denmark and London. With an MA from the Central St Martins College of Art and Design, and a background in choreography and dance, her work explores and reflects ideas of delicacy, life-cycles and living relationships. Clients include MTV, Sony PSP, BBC, Prada, Volkswagen, Condè Nast, Chloè and more. As an award-winning animation director, Carolina Melis signed TV commercials in Italy, in the UK, US and China, and directed music videos, documentaries and shorts at the international level.